1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related to a multi-functional vacuum processing apparatus and in particular to one which enables ordinary operators to carry out vacuum processing with fully or semi-automatic operation, thereby improving the vacuum processing quality of products and increasing the production rate. Further, the multi-functional vacuum processing apparatus can provide protection, safety, troubleshoot and inspection functions.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Although neon lights have been invented for more than 100 years, the production method has not changed, and has not been improved upon. Their application ranges from the neon signs on the wall to the neon advertisement on the top of a building, to outdoor neon advertisement signs to the indoor neon hanging lights and some architecture with neon light decorations on the outside of the building. Neon lights play an important role in daily life, and in architecture.
Except for the material for making neon lights, the production and quality of neon lights have not changed a lot. There has been little change in the apparatus for the manufacture of neon lights. The conventional method of manufacturing can only produce straight neon lights, and some manufacturers use this automatic bending equipment to produce curved and circular neon lights. The conventional way to bend the neon lights is finished by manual operation.
The conventional vacuum processing apparatus is shown in FIG. 13. As shown, the vacuum processing apparatus includes a vacuum pump 1 and exhaust pipe 11, an argon pipe 21, a neon pipe 31, and a blowing pipe 41.
The pipes 11, 21, 31 and 41 are controlled by valves 12, 22, 32 and 42 (see FIGS. 14 and 15 ). A mercury meter 5 for measuring vacuum degree is connected between the two valves 32 and 42. The main pipe 43 is extended from the blowing pipe 41 and the main pipe is connected with two branch pipes 431, which are each connected with a neon light 6. The exhaust pipe 11 is connected to the vacuum pump 1. The argon pipe 21 is connected with an argon tank. The neon pipe 31 is connected with a neon tank 3. The blowing pipe 41 is connected with a flexible pipe so that an operator can blow air through the flexible pipe into the neon lights 6 via the branch pipes 431. This is to prevent the neon lights 6 from being broken A vacuum degree is represented by tort:
The vacuum degree obtained by the conventional vacuum processing apparatus can only reach 10xe2x88x922 torr. The vacuum degree is important to the service life and the illumination intensity of neon lights. Therefore the manufacturers have tried to improve the production equipment to obtain a high vacuum degree in order to obtain high quality products. One of the commonly used methods is using a diffusing pump, which is heated by silicon oil to produce silicon molecules. The silicon molecules will evaporate when heated, and will feed back when cooled. The diffusing pump uses this kind of feedback power to increase vacuum degree to a measure of 10xe2x88x923 torr.
On the other hand, some manufacturers replace the conventional valve with solenoid valves, in association with an automatic operation system, in order to improve the manufacture of neon lights. But these kind of improvements do not have any influence on the vacuum degree.
From the above, it can be seen that although there is some improvement in the neon light production equipment, there has been no technical breakthrough in the increase of vacuum degree. Therefore the conventional neon light production equipment is not ideal in operation and suffers from the following drawbacks:
(1) It cannot provide fully automatic and semi-automatic functions, so that the setting and control of the equipment rely on the experience of the operators. Hence, quality and service life of the neon light depends on the technical knowledge of the operators, so that it is difficult to lower the defect rate of products, costs and the personal operation fee costs. Furthermore, an operator can only control production equipmentxe2x80x94the manufacture, production and efficiency cannot be effectively increased.
(2) As such production equipment is not designed for various processing procedures, the quality, service life and illumination intensity of the neon lights are not ideal.
(3) Such equipment cannot measure the temperature of neon lights and cannot sense whether the temperature sensing claim is mounted correctly.
(4) The heating temperature produced by the transformer is fixed and not variable. As to the small (such as a diameter of 5 mm) or larger thin neon light with a diameter of 5 mm or large neon light with a diameter of 18 mm-25 mm, so that the thin neon light cannot be manufacture with this equipment because the thin neon light will melt at high temperature and the impurities with the large neon light cannot be effectively decomposed into molecules at low temperature. Although some equipment have variable micro ampere meter to adjust the heating temperature, the adjustment is operated by a steering wheel, which is bulky in volume and inconvenient to operate.
(5) Such equipment can only detect large leakage. If the leakage is small, it cannot be immediately sensed. It often takes a few days to detect the leakage, thereby influencing the vacuum degree.
(6) Such equipment does not have safety means and a high voltage transformer is exposed, so that the people who are close to it will be in danger.
(7) Such equipment cannot show the operation and production times so that the operator will often forget to maintain the equipment
(8) The water vapor produced by such equipment is generally drained off by opening a cover, thereby making it inconvenient to operate.
(9) Such equipment does not have waste collectors on the exhaust pipe, so that when the neon light is vacuumed, the impurities and shards of glass will be sucked into the neon light, causing damage.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a multi-functional vacuum processing apparatus which can obviate and mitigate the above-mentioned drawbacks.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a multi-functional vacuum processing apparatus for manufacturing neon tubes, glass containers, food containers and cosmetic containers, which includes a rectangular body frame for receiving primary components, said body frame having a control panel on which are mounted relevant control members, indicators, setting members . . . etc., a platform extending from a rear portion of said body frame for placing workpieces to be processed, a transformer having an output electrode line extending through said body frame to be connected in series with a workpiece to be processed, a vacuum pump having an exhaust pipe which is connected at the intermediate portion and an end thereof with normal open valve and normal closed valve, a turbine vacuum pump connected with two exhaust pipes having an end connected with exhaust pipes connected with the front and rear sides of the normal open valve, said two exhaust pipes each having a normal closed valve, a main pipe having an end connected with a normal closed valve and an intermediate portion connected with an argon pipe, a helium pipe, a neon pipe, a sensor pipe, a vacuum meter pipe and a blowing pipe and having branch pipes at another end connected with a workpiece to be processed, gas tanks including an argon tank, a helium gas and neon tank which are connected with pressure gauges, pneumatic valves, gas micro-adjustable valves and switches which are in turn connected to pipes, a vacuum degree meter having two hot cathode vacuum sensors and a cold cathode vacuum sensor, a turbine controller connected with said vacuum degree meter and said turbine vacuum pump, a thermometer for measuring temperature of a workpiece to be processed, a high voltage transformer and an adjustable current controller, wherein said transformer produces voltage at an output end from which an electrical wire extends out, said current controller utilizing a knob and a timer to adjust current and set output time, and an air compressor arranged within said body frame.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a multi-functional vacuum processing apparatus and in particular to one which enables one to carry out vacuum processing procedures with fully or semi-automatic operations as desired.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a multi-functional vacuum processing apparatus which can improve the quality and prolong the service life of neon tubes.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a multi-functional vacuum processing apparatus which can inspect whether the temperature sensor clamp has been mounted on the neon tube or not and whether there is leakage.
It still another object of the present invention to provide a multi-functional vacuum processing apparatus which can process neon tubes with various diameters from 5 mm to 25 mm.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a multi-functional vacuum processing apparatus which has safety sensors for ensuring the safety of anyone close to the apparatus.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a multi-functional vacuum processing apparatus which utilizes a counter to remind the operator to carry out maintenance.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a multi-functional vacuum processing apparatus which has a drain valve to let off the water from the air compressor.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a multi-functional vacuum processing apparatus which can prevent impurities from entering into the neon tube.
The foregoing object and summary provide only a brief introduction to the present invention. To fully appreciate these and other objects of the present invention as well as the invention itself, all of which will become apparent to those skilled in the art, the following detailed description of the invention and the claims should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Throughout the specification and drawings identical reference numerals refer to identical or similar parts.
Many other advantages and features of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description and the accompanying sheets of drawings in which a preferred structural embodiment incorporating the principles of the present invention is shown by way of illustrative example.